Yellowstone National Park officials are warning tourists to keep their distance after a bison flipped a woman into the air as she posed for a selfie with the massive beast.

Brandi Burgess, 43, from Mississippi turned her back on the animal on Tuesday evening to get a photo with it on a trail close to Old Faithful.

It was supposed to be an epic mom and daughter selfie, but no sooner had the picture been taken, the bison chased after them, tossing Brandi into the air.

Scroll down for video

Tossed: Brandi Burgess from Flora, Mississippi, was flipped and tossed by a bison at Yellowstone National Park Tuesday after posing for a selfie in front of the animal with her daughter

'It was the most frightening experience I have been through in my life to date,' she told ABC News in an exclusive interview as she held up her torn clothes

Brandi and her daughter were by the trailhead sign when they decided to take a picture with a bison that was about six yards away from them.

'It was the most frightening experience I have been through in my life to date,' she told ABC News in an exclusive interview.

When they turned their backs to take the picture, someone warned that they were getting too close.

The pair tried to run, but the bison caught Brandi and tossed her into the air with its head and horns.

She survived with just minor injuries. The dangerous encounter was the fifth run-in between park-goers and buffalo at the park this year.

'I thought I had a healthy respect for wildlife, but maybe not as healthy as I should have had,' Brandi said. 'But I am very grateful and blessed to have walked away.'

In a statement, Old Faithful district ranger Colleen Rawlings said: 'The family said they read the warnings in both the park literature and the signage, but saw other people close to the bison, so they thought it would be OK.

'People need to recognize that Yellowstone wildlife is wild, even though they seem docile.

RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

Narrow escape: 'I thought I had a healthy respect for wildlife, but maybe not as healthy as I should have had,' Brandi said. 'But I am very grateful and blessed to have walked away'

Brandi's family drove her to a nearby clinic where she was treated and released.

The millions of tourists who visit Yellowstone annually are warned when they enter Yellowstone, by handouts, signs and orally to keep a distance of at least 25 yards from bison and to give even more berth to creatures such as grizzly bears, said Bartlett.

Yet the message is clearly not getting through to some individuals who flock to a park that spans more than 3,400 square miles (8,800 sq km) of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

'People are not taking to heart that these are wild animals that are unpredictable and can be dangerous,' Yellowstone spokeswoman Amy Bartlett said.

Looking back: After her encounter with the bison, Brandi says she will think twice about animal photo opportunities

Ouch! Burgess was rushed to a clinic after the attack, which left her with minor injuries and a hole in her pants

Advice: Visitors at Yellowstone National Park are told to stay at least 25 yards from bison, spokeswoman Julena Campbell said

The park's roughly 4,000 buffalo are generally uninterested in the activities of visitors while seeking prime grazing lands that can be close to hiking trails, roads, buildings and parking lots, leading some tourists to incorrectly conclude that the shaggy, hump-backed creatures are approachable, she said.

Four of the five goring incidents required hospitalization and advanced medical care, Bartlett said.

The first bison-human encounter of the season happened in May and was directed at a teen Taiwanese exchange student as she sought to take a photo of a buffalo that ultimately charged.

Two women from Georgia were gored in separate incidents in late June and early July after wandering near buffalo and an Australian man was tossed multiple times in the air on June 2 while seeking to use his electronic notepad to photograph a bison.

Threat: Yellowstone National Park officials are warning tourists to keep their distance after a bison flipped a woman into the air as she posed for a selfie with the massive beast (file photo)

Caution: Yellowstone prohibits people from getting within 25 yards of bison